At the moderately underattended "Life, the Universe, and Everything" convention held in Provo, Utah, Jeanne Cavelos was supposed to be signing books. Unfortunately, the con was so small that only a few people showed up, so she let me talk with her for a full hour on everything from Babylon 5 to what she feeds her lizard. I was scared to approach her, because Shane warned me that meanness could ensue with celebrities, but Jeanne was so nice and friendly that I was sad when she had to leave. She was very friendly to everyone who came to get their books signed, so I encourage everyone who plans to visit her during her book tour to do it! And buy all her books, while you're at it. You'll get the opinion of an expert.

Jeanne knows from science fiction. She's written some very technical books, including The Science of the X-Files and The Science of Star Wars. To write those books, she said, she had to read hundreds of books and thousands of articles. She said she wrote The Science of Star Wars in five months. Five months, people! That's like writing War and Peace in twenty minutes. I can't even imagine how exhausting that must have been. So when she said she didn't have plans to write The Science of Babylon 5, well, that was understandable. Not only that, but the management isn't really interested in that type of book, so they're having Jeanne write the Technomage trilogy instead.

The Technomage trilogy is fiction, but it's not just episodic fiction. The first book, Casting Shadows, is about Galen and his apprenticeship with the technomages. It takes place before Galen joins the Babylon 5 universe as it is now. Jeanne was very excited to write this book because it isn't just a "tie-in" like The Science of Babylon 5 would be. It's approved fiction, and could become secondary canon, much like the Star Wars fictions have come to be.

And no one deserves it more, let me tell you. Jeanne worked with J. Michael Straczynski on the idea and execution of the novel, but it was pretty much a case of him saying yes to all her ideas. She submitted a 50 page outline for the first book, out of a total of 200 pages outline for the trilogy - "I am an insane person," she says - and JMS didn't have a problem with any of it. So not only is JMS a great boss, but Jeanne has put long hours of hard work and research into writing the trilogy. She's had some fanfic practice (she once wrote a fanfic where Spiderman met Han Solo), but her training and background in science and editing has helped her develop what JMS called "the best [Babylon 5] novel of the bunch."

So if you talk to Jeanne, she can converse fluently in X-Filesian, Star Warsian, or Babylon 5ian. We went all over the place, from Mulder to midichlorians. She's very entertaining. She doesn't currently watch X-Files, but she's taping it to watch later, when she returns from her tour of the Northeast. So I couldn't get her opinion on Doggett or the developments of the new format. And she doesn't watch Buffy or The Lone Gunmen, because of time constraints. she did say that when she was home and needed an escape, that she flips over to Survivor. But we all understand the need for mindless entertainment, and we don't work half as hard as she does (she said she often writes 12 hours a day).

For everyone that's wondering how Igmoe is doing - why, he's just fine. I didn't get to meet him because Jeanne had to leave him at home with her husband, but she and I discussed lizards and their care and feeding. FYI, Igmoe eats vegetables, and he's now eight years old and growing ever larger. She told a very funny story about him trying to fight his reflection in the oven, and she said he was acting "just like Mr. Spock in 'Amok Time'." And Igmoe won the fight, too, thereby proving himself worthy to mate. I guess all Jeanne has to do now is find an iguana that's worthy of Igmoe.

I did my duty as a Zealot - Jeanne's favorite flavor of puddin' is chocolate. So do your duty as a Zealot, and bring her some puddin' when you visit her in the Northeast and have her sign your newly acquired copy of Casting Shadows. And if you're lucky enough to meet Igmoe, give him a pat for me.

Originally appeared at Zealot.com:
http://www.zealot.com/features/archives/cavelos.php3